Pa. Senate addresses money for armed guards in schools

Plans to provide Pennsylvania schools with grants to hire armed guards will be discussed in a February hearing in Harrisburg.

HOWARD FRANK

Plans to provide Pennsylvania schools with grants to hire armed guards will be discussed in a February hearing in Harrisburg.

School emergency plans and security measures designed to ensure student safety and increase school-to-parent communication during an emergency will receive an in-depth review by two key Senate committees, according to Republican state Sens. Lisa Baker, Mike Folmer and Joe Scarnati.

The Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, chaired by Baker, and the Education Committee, chaired by Folmer, will hold the hearing from 9 to 11 a.m. Feb. 13 in the North Office Building, Hearing Room 1, Harrisburg.

Among the strategies to be discussed is a proposal by Scarnati to give grants to schools to train and hire armed guards to provide security.

"In light of the unimaginable tragedy which took place in Newtown last month, it is apparent that the most important thing government can do in order to combat evil is to ensure the greatest level of security possible in our schools," Scarnati said.

Many school districts across Pennsylvania currently employ armed police and school resource officers, according to the senators.

A half million dollars under a safe schools program already offers funds for metal detectors and conflict resolution. But for Pennsylvania's 501 school districts, Scarnati said it's not enough.

His initial proposal is to budget $10 million for the fiscal 2013-14 budget.

"Every day care, school, college and university must have an emergency plan in place and they need to be able to carry it out," Baker said. "Law enforcement and other emergency personnel need the training and capacity necessary to prevent or respond to a crisis large or small."

Scarnati said several resource officers in his district have been extremely helpful in alleviating conflicts among students.

"It's amazing what students tell these resource officers about what's going on," he said.

Some superintendents have contacted Scarnati directly to support the value of armed guards and resource officers, while others have asked how they can get funding to hire them.

Representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, the Pennsylvania State Education Association and the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association will testify at the hearing, as well as school superintendents, teachers and principals.

"Everyone realizes the necessity of taking action to protect our children," Baker said. "So many groups taking part in this effort to offer solutions is encouraging."